Sounds rose from the earth. New sounds: cobwebs of exhalations, pauses of the heart, the monastic work of the worms translating flesh to soil, the slow crawl of rock. There was another kind of industry, somewhere beneath her. Another kind of machine.

Nathan Ballingrud
About This Quote

"Sounds rose from the earth," in this quote, is a reference to the smell of the flowers and plants that grow on the ground. The sound of earthworms' work is a reference to the slow trickle of water trickling through the ground. The monastic work of the worms translating flesh to soil is a reference to the composting process. And, "there was another kind of industry, somewhere beneath her" is a reference to what might be underground.

Source: North American Lake Monsters: Stories

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